Live from GJ, it’s Rachel and Melinda!

By Melinda Mawdsley

We wanted to control the airwaves. It’s really that simple.

Rachel and I admittedly have eclectic musical tastes. I’m into harmony, a catchy melody or great rhythm. Rachel’s tastes are similar, but she is well-versed in the history of music and artists I frankly have never heard of.

We have no favorite artists. We have favorite triumverates. Rachel digs Elvis, Dylan and The Temptations. I love Joshua Radin, Josh Groban and Broadway show tunes.

Weird? We know, and we don’t care.

In our ongoing efforts to find a place where we could share our variety and introduce others to great songs, we sought out KAFM Community Radio. It’s amazing. KAFM lets us mix our hodge podge playlists in with new music. We love it! And, in other happy news, we have not cost KAFM it’s FCC operating license after three shows.

We found a way to control the airwaves.

Our show, “The Morning Muse with Rachel and Melinda,” although not our show name, is entirely our own. It airs from 6 to 9 a.m. every other Monday. We weren’t sure anyone was listening until one nice man called recently to ask us about a song we played. We got pretty excited.

Thus far, Rachel and I have discussed speeding in school zones, how people who don’t like John Mellencamp are Communists — Rachel’s word — and the Titanic. I loved it. Rachel hated it. And then we realized we better preface that we were talking about the movie, not the tragic ship sinking. It's funny how our jokes and sarcasm don't translate with strangers.

Turns out, anyone can be a volunteer KAFM DJ with the proper training and proper motivation to show up when his or her show is scheduled. Music is subjective, and so are the KAFM programmers. It’s probably the greatest thing about volunteering at KAFM. Rachel and I are very different from other programmers, and that's OK.

Our next show at KAFM is 6 a.m., Monday, April 2, where we will participate in our first pledge drive show. It’s fundraising season at KAFM, and the community-supported radio station relies heavily on member pledges. Rachel and I will work to put the “fun” in fund drive.

Take a listen, and if you like what you hear, call KAFM at 241-8801 and make a pledge. After all, as Cyndi Lauper gloriously sang, “Girls just wanna have fun.”